Is there a quick solution to add more buttons?

[Maico]

I dont know what controlers you are using but let me suggest something. I have allways assigned 'Ctrl' to a button on my throttle and 'Shift' to a button on my Joy. So lets say you have four buttons on your throttle hat. You will now have eight commands. You have the normal commands and then four 'plus shift' commands. Same goes for the joystick ect.

Try it out, it will double or maybe even triple the amount of buttons you can have.
I have also used a USB numeric pad. Its an easy add on.


Just my two cents.

[Vengeanze]

Originally Posted by Maico

I dont know what controlers you are using but let me suggest something. I have allways assigned 'Ctrl' to a button on my throttle and 'Shift' to a button on my Joy. So lets say you have four buttons on your throttle hat. You will now have eight commands. You have the normal commands and then four 'plus shift' commands. Same goes for the joystick ect.

Try it out, it will double or maybe even triple the amount of buttons you can have.
I have also used a USB numeric pad. Its an easy add on.


Just my two cents.

Smart!

[335th_GRAthos]

Originally Posted by Maico

I dont know what controlers you are using but let me suggest something. I have allways assigned 'Ctrl' to a button on my throttle and 'Shift' to a button on my Joy. So lets say you have four buttons on your throttle hat. You will now have eight commands. You have the normal commands and then four 'plus shift' commands. Same goes for the joystick ect.

very smart indeed!

Excellet idea!

Well, I have MSSFFB2 + X45 throttle + 2x Throttle Quadrant
The problem is the MSWFFB2 because it has too few buttons so difficult to sacrifice one (the X52,X45 and every other modern joystick have a lot more posibilities but, lack the handling so I am stuck with it...).

For the time being I woud prefer the solution of an additoal keyboard because there are too many combinations that are rarely used (e.g heating of pitot tube) and are being quickly forgotten (in my case...).

~S~

[Maico]

Ok, well if it is low tech that you want....

Dial=A-Kill2 by marklopez996, on Flickr
I made the brackets from some plastic I had laying around and used model glue to connect them to my X-52. I dont use this anymore but It was my low tech solution to your question.
With my new method I hardly ever have to move my hands away from my controllers in combat.

[Maico]

Uhmmm... The Hat on my Joystick has 12 Commands on it. Up is Map Dn is Normal View, Rt is Gunsight View and Lt is Wide View. Up + Shift is Tgl Engine, Rt+Shift Select Eng 2, Lt+Shft Select Eng 1, Dn+Shift Select All Engines. +Ctrl Is for Missile commands with the corresponding Up, Dn ect.

But that is just the way I like to work it.

[335th_GRAthos]

Originally Posted by Maico

I made the brackets from some plastic I had laying around and used model glue to connect them to my X-52. I dont use this anymore but It was my low tech solution to your question.
With my new method I hardly ever have to move my hands away from my controllers in combat.

Wow, that looks very good Maico, well done!

Do not get me wrong, this is not quite what I am looking for.


I have setup the numerical keyboard to put the bombsight control commands. This is doing the job fine for me.

The challenge I need to solve now is to allocate single keys (withot combinations of ALT, SHIFT, CTRL and God know what...) to other functions like, for example, the Radio frequency control and the directional gyro control.

Of course I could add these function to the num pad as Alt, shift, ctrl combinations but I would prefer a more elegant solution with a lot of space in order to make things more intuitve; Especialy for the keystrokes I do not use every day (like bombsight control).
This is where Nostromo dissapoints me (everything too crammed).
Something like this would have been marvelous



As said earlier, HIDmacro is a wonderfull solution of additing a second keyboard and normally it intercepts the keystrokes of the second (or third, or fourth) keyboard so they are not forwarded to the game (WOW! ) but unfortunately it does not seem to apply in the case of CoD (DAMN! )
Oh well, one can not have everything I guess so, I will have to stick to my MSSWFF2, X45 and two ThrottleQuadrants for the time being

~S~

[Sokol1]

second keyboard installed
HIDmacro installed
macro (keystroke ctrl-j) set to second keyboard Y key

It works but, when pressing Y the game will also intercept the keypress from the second keyboard and tilt the rudder as well

GRAthos

I did some test with IL-2 1946 and all work good.

In HIDMacros "q" send the macro "+g" (Shift+g), in game I map Shift + g to toggle wingtip smoke.
And HIDMacros "e" send "^g" (Ctrl+g), in game Ctrl+g toggle navegation lights.

When I hit "q" smoke is toggle, but gear (in game mapped to"g") no, as expected.
Same for "e".

I configure HIDMacros accord this screen:

http://www.hidmacros.eu/buffersettings.gif

And minimize before start game.

In CloD

HIDMacros > q= "+g" (Shift+g) In game map Shift+g to toggle cockpit lights.
HIDMacros> e= "^g" (Ctrl+g) In game map Ctrl+g to show Map.
In game g=uc (landing gear).


"q" show two different behavior:

Inside cockpit "q" only toggle cockpit lights as expected.
In outside view "q" toggle Landing Gear!!!

With "e" all work OK. Inside cockpit or with outside view "e" show Map.

Sokol1

[335th_GRAthos]

Originally Posted by Sokol1

In CloD
HIDMacros > q= "+g" (Shift+g) In game map Shift+g to toggle cockpit lights.
HIDMacros> e= "^g" (Ctrl+g) In game map Ctrl+g to show Map.
In game g=uc (landing gear).

"q" show two different behavior:

Inside cockpit "q" only toggle cockpit lights as expected.
In outside view "q" toggle Landing Gear!!!

With "e" all work OK. Inside cockpit or with outside view "e" show Map.

Hallo Sokol, thank you for the expanations!
I am afraid I need something else. Can you:
In CoD define "q"="uc" (landing gear)
In CoD define "Shift+g" to toggle cockpit lights.
In HIDMacros > Keyboard #2: q= "+g" (Shift+g)

This means that now I can press
Keyboard #1: "q"= "uc" (landing gear)
Keyboard #2: "q"= "+g" (cockpit lights)

If I can do this then, I have a full set of new keys (keyboard #2) to allocate single key commands for it.

Unfotunately, what I experienced is:
I press Keyboard #2: "q"= "+g" (cockpit lights), the cockpit lights go on BUT AT THE SAME TIME the landing gear goes down.

It seemsthat HIDmacro can do that with the Microsot fligt simulator (fantastic!, great software) but not with CoD